NFL Draft
NFC South Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL Draft is April 26, 2018. So, it is approaching soon.
This can change the fortune for several franchises. The best division in 2017 was the NFC South because they had three playoff teams. Let’s take a look at the division and their 1st round picks.
No. 7 Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers (5-11) were the only team in the division with a losing record. They took a step back because they were 9-7 in 2016. We expected them to improve and make the playoffs. They also added speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson to pair with Mike Evans but it obviously did not work.
The biggest team needs are defensive back, running back and offensive guard. Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick would be a great pick. He played both safety and corner in college. He can cover and he’s physical and can make tackles. He also has very good size at 6’1, 201 pounds.
No. 24 Carolina: The Panthers (11-5) rebounded last year after regressing in 2016. They addressed a need by drafting running back Christian McCaffrey in the 1st round last year. He was very good as a pass catcher but he did not run the ball well. He only rushed for 435 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry.
The biggest team needs are wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line. The Panthers traded their #1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo on Halloween.
Cam Newton needs a good WR so I think they will go in that direction. Courtland Sutton from SMU should still be available. He’s 6’4, 225 lbs. so he’s a big target.
He caught 68 passes for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2017. Newton struggles with accuracy so having a tall receiver with a big catch radius is a good move.
No. 26 Atlanta: The Falcons (10-6) had an up and down year coming off last year’s heartbreaking Super Bowl meltdown. They did win in the first round of the playoffs against the LA Rams. They came very close to beating the eventual world champion Philadelphia Eagles in the second round, losing 15-10. Atlanta should return to being an elite team if they make the right personnel moves.
The biggest needs are defensive line, WR and offensive guard. Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst would be a good fit. Putting him next to Grady Jarrett might give the Falcons one of the best young defensive lines in the league.
No. 27 New Orleans: The Saints (11-5) had a great season. They have the best running back duo in the NFL and an elite veteran quarterback. They lost to Minnesota in the divisional round of the playoffs on the last play of the game. The defense ranked 16th in total D and 17th in run defense.
They need to improve the defensive front seven, WR or slot corner. Boston College defensive end Harold Landry might be selected here. He showed he could rush the passer in 2016 when he recorded 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. Landry is a bit of a one-year wonder though because he did not have a season with more than 5 sacks outside of 2016.
Tennessee Titans Draft Grade
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The post draft NFL power rankings have been released this week. The Tennessee Titans are ranked 12th which would make them a playoff team. Let’s take a look at the new Titans.
The Game May 6
Falcons Draft Grade
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Atlanta Falcons exceeded expectations in Dan Quinn’s second year as head coach.
They finished with an 11-6 record, 2nd seed in the NFC and advanced to Super Bowl LI. As you all know they blew a 28-3 3rd quarter lead and lost to New England in overtime.
Best Case Scenario
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I’ve mentioned before how little faith I put into mock drafts and after this year’s first round you can see why. If there was a NFL Draft Bracket, similar to March Madness, predicting the events of Thursday night would’ve been like predicting South Carolina to make it to the Final Four.
Well, I put about as much stock into the post-draft grades as I do the mock drafts. So, rather than give each team a grade that will surely come back to bite me at some point, I’ve listed each team, along with the best and worst outcome they can expect from their drafted players. Some of these may or may not be realistic. I’ll let you decide.
Jaguars Draft
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Jaguars came into the 2017 NFL draft on the heels of a very disappointing 3-13 season. The poor 2016 season was preceded with a 5-11 record in 2015 and 3-13 in 2014. You get my point right?
There were high expectations coming into last season as far as improving the team. Several free agent signings and a couple of really good drafts made things look as if they were improving. That did not happen, at least not in the sense of wins.
Head Coach Gus Bradley was fired and Doug Marrone has been named the full time coach after filling in as the interim. The Jaguars also hired former Head Coach Tom Coughlin as Team Vice President and now are applying pressure to starting quarterback Blake Bortles to turn the corner.
With all of that going on the Jaguars entered the 2017 draft with some glaring needs on the field as well. Jacksonville needed a serviceable running back, and to upgrade the depth on the offensive line. However, I guess when you are 3-13 there are really needs all over the place.
NFL Draft Quarterbacks
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Every year there are NFL teams who are in dire need of finding that franchise quarterback to lead them to the promised land.
A tradition unlike any other, the Cleveland Browns are yet again in that same category, and this year they will be joined by other teams such as the 49ers, Texans, and Saints.
SEC To Dominate NFL Draft
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I put about as much stock in mock drafts as I do in preseason rankings. They’re great to talk about and they do happen to give you at least a sense of what may take place on draft night, but there are way too many variables that could alter the outcome.
NFC South Draft Preview
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia is on the horizon. We get to see where future stars will land and get to see if teams will address their needs. I’m going to take a look at the NFC South and look at some possible landing spots for the 1st round of the draft.
Who Will Jaguars Take In NFL Draft
By: Drayton Hogarth
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
While the Jacksonville Jaguars were no where near the playoffs this season, they have continued to be in the news as they finally made the call to show Gus Bradley the door.
Now, Doug Marrone will take the helm of the Jaguars franchise. Marrone served as the interim coach toward the end of the 2016 season, and Shad Kahn saw enough to make the call to give him the head coaching job.
While, Marrone likely doesn’t excite the masses, what should get the fan base in an uproar is the upcoming draft. The Jaguars yet again have a top five selection in the upcoming draft and are poised to add a big-time difference maker to the roster. Who should that difference maker be? Let’s take a look at some potential options that the Jaguars should be considering.
Dalvin Cook is a major running back prospect from Florida State. Jacksonville has a dire need for play makers on offense. As well, if Blake Bortles is to ever become the quarterback that he was drafted to be, he must have someone he can simply turn and hand the ball off to that can take it to the house at any time.
It also wouldn’t hurt the season ticket sales bringing in the Florida native, and someone that played for a school that has a massive fan base built in Jacksonville already. As most should know by now, it doesn’t matter who is at quarterback or running back if they are behind an offensive line that is unable to take care of the line of scrimmage. This leads me to the next candidate that the Jacksonville front office should consider drafting, Cam Robinson.
Cam Robinson is the massive offensive tackle prospect out of the University of Alabama. Robinson has the prototypical build for an NFL tackle, and has been a three year starter in Tuscaloosa since his freshman season.
While he may not have quite the footwork to remain at left tackle, Robinson can move to right tackle and be the dominant piece along the Jacksonville offensive line. The biggest concern for Jacksonville, or any NFL franchise looking to select Cam Robinson, most likely will stem from off the field issues; before teams dole out millions of dollars to a rookie, they want to be as certain as possible of that player’s decision making.
If the Jaguars and their general manager, Dave Caldwell, feel comfortable in Robinson’s character and off the field choices, his on the field abilities could allow him to be a cornerstone for the franchise for the next decade or so.
Under former coach Gus Bradley, one thing that the Jaguars did do well was to draft good defensive talent. Jalen Ramsey and Dante Fowler the last two seasons have become stalwarts for the Jacksonville defense, especially the ultra talented Ramsey.
The Jaguars could fortify the secondary, by pairing Ramsey with another playmaker in Jamal Adams out of LSU. Adams shows a rare combination of physicality and ball skills that would help round out the Jacksonville secondary. The Jaguars will likely be allowing longtime safety, Johnathan Cyprien, to leave in free agency, so Adams would make a lot of sense for a myriad of reasons.
As you can see, the Jaguars have several ways that they can go in this year’s upcoming draft. Many feel like they have gone so defense heavy the last few years that a boost on the offensive side of the ball is necessary.
In particular, now that an offensive minded coach is in charge with Doug Marrone, the team needs to bring in some help for struggling quarterback Blake Bortles.
The best route that the Jaguars could take could end up trading down in the draft and accumulating more picks to boost the overall talent of the roster. It is much needed.
